4 ms·

But, of course: the relative volume of events is somewhat tapered by space-like interactions. Me not paying rent this weekend would mean a lot more to my presen

by _-__--- 11y ago

But, of course: the relative volume of events is somewhat tapered by space-like interactions. Me not paying rent this weekend would mean a lot more to my present state in life - insofar as I am able to perceive it - than a hypothetical supernova event occurring on the far end of Andromeda. I am under no illusion that the tediums of my life are more significant that the potential destruction of an entire anonymous solar system, but when conditioned on my own experience it seems a bit more pertinent. I'd posit that it's the recognition of this conditioning operation that let's us get a wider/better perspective on things.

smoyer 11y ago
If a star explodes in an obscure galaxy and no one observes it, does it have an impact one anyone's existence?
- zardo 11y ago
  It could influence whether or not someone exists in the future. Some star in an obscure galaxy went supernova, and none of us would be here if it hadn't.
- jeffwass 11y ago
  Depends, did the life forms living in that obscure galaxy not observe it because the explosion eradicated them faster than their sensory observations could tell the explosion was happening? Ie, even if the explosion occurred on a much faster time scale than their sensory biology, and thus wiped out their planets in an effective instant, I'd argue it made an impact even though no one was left to observe it.
  - ThomPete 11y ago
    impact on who? Doens't the very idea of impact require some sort of mind to understand the impact? In a world with no observers there wouldn't be any event's because there wouldn't be any perspectives to interpret it from.
    - jeffwass 11y ago
      Why does impact require a mind? If the life forms were about to achieve interstellar transport and colonise another star system, clearly there's an impact on the resultant state of that star system.
      - ThomPete 11y ago
        I though the idea was that there was no one around.
- xlm1717 11y ago
  If it is in a region of space that expands beyond the light cone of anyone in existence, then no, it doesn't. Otherwise, it would have an essentially negligible impact on anyone in a separate galaxy.
  - vorg 11y ago
    An "essentially negligible impact" but not zero impact. Sounds a lot like quantum decoherence! Maybe GR and QM are alike after all, one working top down and the other bottom up.

by _-__--- 11y ago

smoyer 11y ago

If a star explodes in an obscure galaxy and no one observes it, does it have an impact one anyone's existence?

zardo 11y ago
It could influence whether or not someone exists in the future. Some star in an obscure galaxy went supernova, and none of us would be here if it hadn't.
jeffwass 11y ago
Depends, did the life forms living in that obscure galaxy not observe it because the explosion eradicated them faster than their sensory observations could tell the explosion was happening? Ie, even if the explosion occurred on a much faster time scale than their sensory biology, and thus wiped out their planets in an effective instant, I'd argue it made an impact even though no one was left to observe it.
- ThomPete 11y ago
  impact on who? Doens't the very idea of impact require some sort of mind to understand the impact? In a world with no observers there wouldn't be any event's because there wouldn't be any perspectives to interpret it from.
  - jeffwass 11y ago
    Why does impact require a mind? If the life forms were about to achieve interstellar transport and colonise another star system, clearly there's an impact on the resultant state of that star system.
    - ThomPete 11y ago
      I though the idea was that there was no one around.
xlm1717 11y ago
If it is in a region of space that expands beyond the light cone of anyone in existence, then no, it doesn't. Otherwise, it would have an essentially negligible impact on anyone in a separate galaxy.
- vorg 11y ago
  An "essentially negligible impact" but not zero impact. Sounds a lot like quantum decoherence! Maybe GR and QM are alike after all, one working top down and the other bottom up.